The Ancient and the Wise
by Eleni Amelia
Summary: On the eve of Harry's 17th birthday, Dumbledore whisks him away to a hidden city that holds the deeply buried secret of all Wizarding heritage. Harry finds himself facing knowledge and responsibilities that could shatter everything in his life.
1. Chapter One

**AUTHOR'S NOTE** This story is a collab between the authors Tap Dancing Widow and Starr Light1. We hope you enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER** We do not own any of the canon characters from the Harry Potter world. They belong to JK Rowling, who can do with them what she pleases.

Harry stood before the ramshackle door of the house at 12 Grimmauld Place. The evening was humid and his clothes stuck uncomfortably to his back. It was a week before his birthday and the weather had grown intolerably sticky.

He was overjoyed to be leaving the Dursleys' a whole month early, but the prospect of spending the rest of his summer training with the Order wasn't exactly a happy one. With a resigned sigh, he pushed open the door.

The thump from Harry's trunk hitting the floor alerted the house to his presence. A wildly grinning Fred Weasley burst into the hallway, shouting, "Oi Harry! Hey, Harry's here!" The rest of the house shook as a stampede of Weasleys rushed down the stairs to greet him.

It took Harry forever to get them quiet enough for him to even hear their questions. "Harry, it's lovely to see you!" "Harry, how are you?" "How has your summer been?" "Did those filthy muggle relatives of yours feed you this summer?" "How's your cousin? We can get him more Ton-Tongue Toffee if you want."

Harry's ears were ringing. Finally, Molly Weasley took charge. "QUIET!" she yelled. Her family settled down, watching her expectantly. "Now," she began, giving Harry a hug. "Come sit down in the kitchen, dear, while I fix you some dinner. Then you can answer everyone's questions. I'm sure it's been a long journey."

Harry followed obediently down into the vast basement kitchen. Molly immediately busied herself at the stove, fixing him a dinner that looked to be enough for the entire Order. The Weasley children were on his tail and clustered about him as he sat at the table.

"Harry!"

Remus Lupin emerged from one of the shadowy corners of the kitchen and sat down next to Harry. Giving him a hearty pat on the back, he said, "Glad to see you. Just arrive?"

"Yeah." Harry smiled.

But before Remus could say more, the Weasleys jumped back in. "How has your summer been so far, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, how have your horrible relatives been?" Charlie added.

"Not bad." Harry cracked a small smile. "I reminded them that when I turned seventeen, I would be a legal wizard and could practice all the magic I wanted. Repeatedly. That changed their dispositions some."

Charlie laughed. "Good for you, Harry."

"Hey Harry, smashing to see you! Grabbing a bite to eat?" Tonks, her hair magenta at the moment, collapsed into a chair at the other end of the table. Harry nodded. "HEY!" Tonks shouted. "DINNER'S READY!"

The rickety house rocked on its foundation. Moody was the first in the kitchen, his magical eye swirling in wild patterns. Mundungus Fletcher bounded down after him, followed closely by Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour. Molly glared at the Order members for a moment before turning exasperatedly back to her cooking. "Thanks Mum!" Bill said cheekily. Molly gave her oldest son a half-smile before declaring dinner to be ready.

Harry had to endure a whole new round of questions from the members of the Order. Was he tolerating the summer okay? Were his relatives feeding him? Did he need Mad Eye to put fear into his uncle again?

It was a long meal, one that Harry was glad to be able to escape. And his excuse of wanting to unpack and get an early night in wasn't too far off. He still felt a twinge of peculiarity now that Sirius's old room was his. This was the second year of the arrangement for Harry to leave the Dursleys' a week before his birthday for training, but it wasn't any easier to be in his Godfather's bedroom now than it had been a year ago.

Harry looked at his large trunk with a sigh. Resignedly, he opened its lid and began to unpack.

A candle burned low, lighting Harry's room with eerie orange shadows. It was nearing midnight, but his Order training had been so intensive that it left little time for the mountains of homework that his professors expected to be done by the first of September.

Harry leaned his head back and rubbed his tired eyes. His bed looked teasingly inviting, but the Potions homework piled on his desk did not promise sleep any time soon.

The sound of a pop in the hallway outside the room made Harry look to his door blearily. At first, he wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him but when the pop was followed by a rapping on his door, Harry stood up and went to open it.

"Professor Dumbledore?" To Harry's great surprise, Professor Albus Dumbledore indeed stood outside his bedroom.

"Hello Harry," the old wizard said kindly.

"Hello." Harry didn't quite know what was going on. "Uh, what are you doing here?"

"I have come to wish you a happy birthday, of course." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"Oh." Harry glanced at the clock on his wall. Indeed, it had reached midnight. He was seventeen. "Thank you."

Dumbledore laughed lightly. "And I'm sure you're wondering why I've chosen such an odd time to bring you such greetings."

"Yes sir, a little," Harry admitted.

Dumbledore smiled and tilted his head toward the bedroom. "May I come in?"

"Oh!" Harry blushed. "Of course." He stepped aside to let Dumbledore into the chamber.

The old professor scanned the room quickly, his eyes lighting up when he saw Harry's trunk. "Ah! There we are." With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore had the trunk's lid open and ready for packing.

Harry watched this in utter confusion. "Professor? What's going on?" A horrid thought crossed his mind. "I'm not going back to the Dursleys', am I?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "No, no, my dear boy, nothing of the sort. But you are to come with me, so quickly now, pack your belongings. You won't be returning before the semester begins." Harry hesitated for a moment, eliciting a response of, "Come now, Harry, we have no time to lose. I have left word with the members of the Order that you will be leaving tonight and they expect to find you gone come morning. Hurry now!"

Harry did as he was told. He quickly crammed everything that he would need into his trunk and was ready to go in remarkable time. "Very good!" Dumbledore remarked when Harry was ready.

With a rather strange look, Harry watched as Dumbledore produced a piece of black parchment from within his long robes. Written across the top in white letters was the name POTTER and underneath, a white hand with long fingers. Harry looked at it curiously. "What is that?"

"This, Harry, is a very specialized portkey that works only for you. Hold out your hand." Seeing Harry's protest, Dumbledore continued. "I will apparate behind you."

Harry looked suspiciously at the parchment, then to Dumbledore. "All right." He held out his hand. Before he even felt the parchment, he heard Dumbledore mutter a strange word, "_Lelya_," and with the familiar tug behind his naval, was gone.


	2. Chapter Two

**AUTHOR'S NOTE** So here you go, the beginning of the crossover part of the story! Again, hope you enjoy. And **thank you** to everyone who reviewed chapter one!

**DISCLAIMER** We don't own _anything_. JK Rowling owns most of the characters and those that she doesn't belong to the estate of JRR Tolkien. And we're borrowing Peter Jackson's visual interpretation of the White Hall of Minas Tirith.

After seconds of what Harry felt as whooshing through the air, he found himself standing on a tall ledge. He looked around in confusion, but he was alone. With a crack, Dumbledore apparated behind him. "Welcome, Harry, to Minas Tirith."

Harry blinked. "To where?"

"Minas Tirith, Harry. The Tower of the Guard."

"I'm sorry sir," Harry said. "But I have no idea where we are."

Dumbledore chuckled. "And you shouldn't. Minas Tirith has been carefully hidden from prying eyes for hundreds of generations." He turned Harry away from the edge of the high terrace and walked slowly in the opposite direction. Harry stared curiously at the elegant palace before him, watched over by what appeared to be a dead white tree. "Uh, Professor? Is that tree dead?" he asked tentatively.

"Yes Harry, it is indeed. We are in the Court of the Fountain and that is the White Tree of the King. It has been dead for many years. So has the House of Telcontar."

"The House of Telcontar?" Harry was very confused.

"Yes. Please follow me."

Harry followed, but hesitantly. "Professor, why did you bring me here? Is this another safe haven for me?"

Dumbledore stopped and turned toward Harry, his old eyes twinkling. "In a way," was all he said before continuing into the White Palace.

Harry sucked in his breath when Dumbledore led him into a vast hall that rivaled the Great Hall at Hogwarts in splendor. The walls and floor were white marble and a majestic white throne sat atop a dais high above the floor. At the foot of the stairs before it was another throne, this one jet black. Harry gazed at the dark statues surrounding the hall. "What is this place?" he asked.

"The White Hall, Harry. This was the Hall of the King."

"What King?"

Dumbledore stopped and turned around slowly. "Harry, the world has not always been as it is now. Minas Tirith is all that remains of the way the world once was. The Kings who reigned here are long gone. The line ended many years ago."

"Oh."

Harry continued following Dumbledore past the dais at the head of the room to a small doorway. Stairs led down. Harry followed Dumbledore down further and further below the White Hall as the staircase wound in tight circles lit by flickering torches. The stairs ended in a small room with six doors leading from it.

Dumbledore guided Harry toward the second door on their left bearing the same white hand that had adorned his parchment. Once inside, he opened a large wardrobe and pulled out two sets of elegant white robes. "Please put these on, Harry," he said, handing Harry one set. Harry looked around and headed to a small anti-chamber.

The robes consisted of a pair of trousers, a tunic, and a long white robe that closed over his chest. On his left breast was a crest that Harry was unfamiliar with. He fastened a silver belt around his waist and reemerged.

Dumbledore was waiting for him in an outfit identical to his own, save the crest on his chest. He held a pair of white boots. "Please, put these on as well."

Harry complied, although he was feeling more and more uncomfortable by the minute. "Professor Dumbledore, please tell me what's going on?" he asked nervously.

Dumbledore smiled reassuringly. "Harry, I assure you, you have nothing to fear here. The magic here is stronger than any in the outside world and has been unbroken for centuries. But we must move on, for time is growing short."

Harry sighed and gave up. Dumbledore again led him into the seven-doored room and stopped before the door two further on the left. It was a black door, the only one in the room unmarked. Dumbledore paused, his hand on the handle, and winked at Harry before allowing the door to sweep open.

Beyond lay a cavernous room, in the center of which was a rich black obsidian table. Men and women gazed at him, each adorned in similar robes of white, gray, brown, and light and dark blue. Dumbledore left Harry's side, moving to a chair marked with the same crest as his robes. Harry stood in the doorway awkwardly, wondering what to do next. He felt everyone's eyes upon him.

"Harry Potter, of the House of Potter, of the Line of Saruman." Harry looked across to the far side of the table in awe at the majestic old wizard who'd stood to greet him. "On this, your seventeenth birthday, you have hereby come of age," Merlin declared. "Welcome to the Istari Council."


	3. Chapter Three

**AUTHORS' NOTE** Hey, we just thought that we'd let you know that there are a few characters introduced in this chapter who we created. They are as follows:

Lovette Longbottom – We made up the first name but this is Neville's grandmother

Amil Patil – Parvati and Padma's grandfather

Macy Abbott – Hannah's great aunt

Edward Knott – the Death Eater

Bathilda Crouch – the sister of Barty Sr.

Coyne Lockhart – Gilderoy's brother

Genevieve McGonagall – Minvera's sister

Sod Parkinson – Pansy's father

Caprice Delacour – Fleur and Gabrielle's grandmother

Sacratus Malfoy – Draco's grandfather

Acarin Ollivander – We gave him the first name of "Acarin" which is an old Elvish word. This is to imply that Ollivander is _old_.

Hapirious Snape – Severus' cousin

Auriga Sinistra – This is an homage to She's a Star's "Lamentations of a Starry Eyed Twit." It may be her canon name, but we weren't sure.

Barclay Lovegood – Luna's daddy

**DISCLAIMER** We don't own JK's characters, but we do own the mentioned above with the exception of Longbottom, Knott, Parkinson, Delacour, Ollivander, Sinistra, and Lovegood.

He stood still, not believing his eyes. The real, live Merlin was talking to him. Merlin who was worshipped and revered by all wizard kind. Merlin who had been the greatest wizard of all time. Merlin who was supposed to be _dead_.

"Uh," Harry began, his throat dry. "Thank you?"

A knowing smile warmed Merlin's face. "Do not fear us. You know in your heart that you belong here."

"Right." Harry found the initiative to look around. The walls were solid stone, cast with shadows from flickering torches. Empty chairs far outnumbered those with occupants. What most intrigued him, however, were the dark archways behind each chair, empty or filled. Each seemed to be made of thick, black glass and bore a crest identical to the one that adorned the chair or robe of the person before it. "Where is here exactly?"

But Merlin only motioned to a chair. "Please sit down, Harry." Harry did as he was told, briefly noticing that the crest on the back of his chair and the glass arch behind him matched the one on his breast. Merlin stayed on his feet as he began speaking.

"As called by the earliest tongues of the Men who built it, this city was known as Minas Anor, or Tower of the Sun. The world was a different place then, full of evils incomprehensible to the minds of the present. When these evils waged war on the Men of Minar Anor, they fortified their homes and the city became Minas Tirith, the Tower of the Guard.

"The Gondorians who resided here lived thousands of years without ever knowing the secret that lay within: this chamber." Merlin gestured to the room in which they were seated. "I am not a mortal wizard, Harry, as I'm sure you have surmised by now. I am a child of two of the great Valar – powerful, spiritual beings that resided in the Undying Lands known as Valinor and lorded over the people of the world that was then called Middle Earth. Vána the Ever Young and Oromë, Hunstman of the Valar, gave life to me and raised me alongside them in Valinor. Oromë, my father, was taken with Middle Earth and was the first to discover life. He would often allow me to accompany him, but I shared his great love for the green lands. I left Valinor to reside among the Elves and mortals.

"When the great Istari wizards arrived from the Undying Lands centuries later, they sensed my presence. I had spent years watching the Men of Gondor fight each other for power, completely unaware of the secret that their city held. This room was created by the construction of the citadel. It was not built nor planned. The Gondorians knew nothing of it or its importance. Here, I led the five Istari and we held the first meeting of the Istari Council.

"The five went on to hold their own council and became swept up in the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron. Here I remained alone, watching over the chamber that would one day hold the descendents of the first five great Wizards called by Men Pallando, Alatar, Radagast, Gandalf, and Saruman. I sensed the birth of each child of the five lines and when they came of age, led them here."

At that point, Merlin smiled. "You have now listened to an old Valar prattle on for quite some time. Here I turn the table over to the five heads of the lines."

Merlin sat down. Harry was surprised to see Neville's grandmother in dark blue robes standing at her seat around the table. "I, Lovette Longbottom, of the House of Longbottom, am head of the Line of Pallando the Blue."

Harry watched as she introduced each of the other Council members dressed in dark blue. "Sybil Trelawney of the House of Trelawney." Harry suppressed a smile when he noticed that, even dressed in the regal blue robes of her ancestor, Trelawney looked as ridiculous as ever.

"Amil Patil of the House of Patil. Ludo Bagman of the House of Bagman." Bagman nodded a greeting.

Harry's blood ran cold when he heard Neville's grandmother say coolly, "Rudolphus Lestrange of the House of Lestrange." He stared shocked at the Death Eater before leaping to his feet.

"What is he doing here?" he cried.

"Mr. Potter, sit down!" Dumbledore thundered. The anger in his voice caused Harry to sit right away. "You will not interrupt again."

Mrs. Longbottom continued calmly. "Macy Abbot of the House of Abbot. Edward Knott of the House of Knott." Harry glared at the other Death Eater. "Bathilda Crouch of the House of Crouch." Mrs. Longbottom sat down.

Harry had trouble wrapping his mind around the idea of Mrs. Longbottom so calmly introducing the man who'd tortured her son and daughter-in-law. She had barely given Lestrange a second look. Harry couldn't help glaring coldly at the Death Eater across the table.

A blonde-haired wizard in light blue robes stood as Mrs. Longbottom retook her seat. His voice was pleasant and soft as he introduced himself. "I, Coyne Lockhart, of the House of Lockhart, am head of the Line of Alatar the Blue."

'Lockhart?' Harry asked himself. 'Like, Gilderoy Lockhart?'

It was not the time for such questions, however. Just as Mrs. Longbottom had done, Lockhart introduced each witch or wizard who wore the same light blue robes as he did. "Amos Diggory of the House of Diggory." Harry nodded hello to the father of his late friend. "Amelia Bones of the House of Bones. Genevieve McGonagall of the House of McGonagall."

Harry looked at the stern, tight-laced elderly witch who nodded curtly and suppressed a smile. She was quite obviously related to the dear Professor McGonagall at Hogwarts.

"Alistair Moody of the House of Moody." Mad Eye's mechanical eye swiveled erratically and Harry swore that it almost winked at him. "Sod Parkinson of the House of Parkinson." Again, Harry glowered at the third Death Eater in the room. "Caprice Delacour of the House of Delacour." Nervously, Harry smiled at the elegant, beautiful old Veela.

Coyne Lockhart retook his seat and Harry was shocked to see Viktor Krum, dressed in long brown robes, stand up. "I, Viktor Krum, of the House of Krum, am head of the Line of Radagast the Brown."

There were only two for Krum to introduce and Harry could not imagine two people who probably hated each other more. "Sacratus Malfoy of the House of Malfoy." The old wizard, who Harry assumed had to be Draco's grandfather, stood regally with white hair that fell gracefully on the shoulders of his brown robes. "Arthur Weasley of the House of Weasley." Arthur grinned at Harry.

Krum sat down and Mr. Ollivander, of Ollivanders in Diagon Alley, stood wearing robes of gray. "I, Acarin Ollivander of the House of Ollivander, am head of the Line of Gandalf the Gray." He too had only two members of the circle to introduce. "Hapirious Snape of the House of Snape. Auriga Sinistra of the House of Sinistra." Harry smiled slightly at his Astronomy teacher and looked curiously at this relative of Snape's, who seemed completely normal.

Finally, Dumbledore himself rose from his chair to introduce the last Council member. "I, Albus Dumbledore, of the House of Dumbledore, am head of the Line of Saruman the White." He gestured to the only other wearing white besides Harry. The middle-aged wizard smiled as Dumbledore introduced him as, "Barclay Lovegood of the House of Lovegood."

Merlin once more retook his place at the head of the room and Harry only then noticed that he alone wore robes of sparkling gold and silver. "You, Harry, are now the head of your house. You are also of the line of the great wizard Saruman the White. Your family's history is locked safely away in a volume that can be found through the archway behind you. However, first two Council members not of your line must recognize you as the head of the House of Potter. Once the proper rituals have been completed, you may enter your family chamber."

"How am I recognized, sir?" Harry asked.

"I will recognize Harry as the head of the House of Potter," Arthur said immediately, standing at his chair. He shot another grin at Harry.

There was quiet for an instant before Mr. Ollivander slowly rose from his seat. "I too will recognize Harry as the head of the House of Potter."

Merlin smiled broadly. "Very well. Young Harry has received recognition of his line. Harry, you are now an accepted member of the Istari Council, bound by the laws that have been set down for thousands of years." Harry nodded nervously. "You are now ready for entry into your family chamber."


	4. Chapter Four

AUTHOR'S NOTE We are SO sorry for taking so long to update! It's hard to find time for the two of us to sit down to write, but we promise to try to be better! Thanks to our reviewers! 

**DISCLAIMER** We don't own the HP or LotR canon characters.

…

Harry turned around and looked at the glass behind him. "Family chamber?"

Merlin nodded. "Through the archway behind you, you shall find the Book of your ancient bloodline. Only you as the Head of your House can read it."

"Okay." Harry was confused. "But how do I get to it?"

"Walk through the glass, of course," Merlin answered with a smile. Upon seeing Harry's skeptical look, he laughed. "You have been recognized as the Head of the House of Potter. You will now be admitted to the Chamber."

Harry stood and walked up to the glass. It looked solid. "Go on," he heard Merlin gently urge him.

Taking a deep breath, Harry took a hesitant step forward. As he stepped through the glass, the air around him felt like liquid flowing over his skin, yet strangely dry. It was a very odd sensation. It took two steps to enter the chamber and the air inside was heavy with the stale mustiness of ancient pages. But there was something else that Harry felt inside the small room that touched what he could only describe as the core of his magical being.

The chamber itself was cut of the same dark rock that the large hall was and rough to the touch. The floor was rough as well, but when Harry looked down, he saw that a narrow path had been worn smooth by the footsteps of his ancestors reaching back to the day that the Book was placed in the chamber by Saruman the White himself.

Bright torches flashed to life as Harry passed them by. He saw the Book resting on a tall wooden pedestal in the center of the room. As he approached and placed his hands on the Book's cover, the stand trembled slightly and seemed to melt before his eyes until it stood at a comfortable reading level. Intrigued, Harry bent down for a closer look and was surprised to feel life in the gnarled wood.

Gently, he eased the Book open. The pages were filled with a strangely beautiful flowing script unlike anything Harry had ever seen. He had no idea where to start and was concerned by the fact that he had never seen the language before in his life. But like all things, the only place to start was in the beginning.

As Harry looked at the first page that had no doubt been written eons before anyone he'd ever known had been born, the characters and words suddenly began to make sense to him. The Tengwar runes came alive and spoke to him.

Harry stepped back suddenly and cocked his head. 'Tengwar?' he thought. 'What's Tengwar?'  
His curiosity quickly overcame him, though, and he approached the Book again. He softly ran his fingers over the pages as the words became clear.

"Herein lies the tale of the descendents of Saruman the White. I, Saruman, have laid this book in the chamber of the House of Potter, on the 25th day of March in the year 1018 of the Third Age of the world. The House of Potter shall here be recorded by each Head of the House and added to by the generations."

Harry paused after reading the words written by his ancestor. Saruman had been a great Wizard. He could feel the ancient power that the White Wizard had left behind. Suddenly he understood the feeling that had washed over him when he'd first entered the Chamber. He wondered if every one of the Chambers had that feeling, or if only the White Wizard had left behind such a presence.

It felt like hours as Harry read through hundreds of pages of runes written by all of his ancestors. One of his ancestors had been worshipped in a small town in a land called Ithilien as a healer. Another had fought off several creatures called Orcs from attacking the village. Several had fought in an alliance forever after referred to as the Men of the West. One was the last herald of King Elessar and King Eldarion after him. Many had lived in Minas Tirith.

Gradually, the entries began mentioning things that sounded more like the world that Harry was familiar with. There were knights from the Middle Ages. Some were beheaded for practicing magic during the English civil war. His first ancestor to go to Hogwarts was a man named Elias Kent Potter in 999 AD.

Harry stopped reading once he reached the second half of the twentieth century. It took a few moments of preparation before he could bring himself to read the last entry in the book – one written by James Potter.

Tears gathered in Harry's eyes as he read the words that his father had written over twenty years ago. Reading the account of his father in his family's sacred Book made him feel closer to him than he had ever felt before.

Finally, Harry felt it time to return to the Council room. He was surprised, to say the least, to find only Dumbledore and Merlin waiting for him. Merlin said nothing, only smiled at Harry and let Dumbledore lead him away.


End file.
